el chocolat

From Crowell Post

A tradition on my mom's side of the family on the Fourth is to have crepes filled with cottage cheese and topped with blueberry and strawberry jam with a dab of sour cream in the middle--creating the patriotic red, white, and blue---for America that is. :) We decided to make a few crepes with some chocolate. What do you say to your kid when they say, "cho-cho, cho-cho" over and over again? I still vote for the traditional family crepe, but it looks like Nutella wins--at least in Elsie's book.

From Crowell Post

Boy did we celebrate! We'd heard from some members that we should check out a grocery store carrying some American goods. We were sort of expecting to see some "Jell-o" brands, Goldfish, or even Fruit Loops; but, what we saw were "typical" American foods all in red/white/blue packaging. We we're kind of surprised as to what was "typical": Package of 6 pre-cooked pancakes, bottled hotdogs, pancake shake-up mix, cinnamon-toast crunch cereal, various spices for BBQ-ing (Cajun, Texas, etc.), flavored syrups for the pancakes, boxed apple and cherry pie mixes, and...well, I think I've covered it. So the pie mixes, cereal, seasonings, and syrups weren't so bad...but the bottle hot dogs and pre-cooked pancakes??? :) We were happy to buy some Reeses--both the Cups and Pieces. Elsie held tight to her package of Pieces until they were gone (which lasted maybe ten minutes).

After our "outing" we came home, grilled some burgers, and lit sparklers with a huge hurrah. Well, we could only find like 4-inch ones. They must have been safety sparklers because a match wouldn't light those little guys--we had to run in the house and use the gas stove to light them. Needless to say, we hope our neighbors didn't think we were crazy Americans--dashing back and forth from the kitchen to the back--all in celebration of something they don't particularly pay attention to. :) But hey, we wanted to celebrate. So, we tried to celebrate big--even if the glory/stars and stripes only lasted for a few seconds.

Happy 4th.

Here's to a Splendid Six

From Crowell Post

Six years? No, this happened yesterday! Corey has never failed to make me smile and laugh in our marriage. We celebrated big by helping at a stake service activity! :) One sister--to whom Corey and I look up to--offered us a couple of extra bottles of water. As she was doing so, she said she'd wished we could have met her "Pete" who passed away within this last year. She said she loved his dry humor and that he was fun to be around, but even more so, he was quite the gentleman. As we walked away, I felt so empty when I thought about what my life would be like without Corey! He always makes me laugh, is always a gentleman, and always makes me want to be a better person. Here's to a truly, splendid six.

At the Beach

From Crowell Post

How we love the beach in Cadiz! Elsie definitely took her time walking towards the water and was certainly skeptical at first. Once she dipped her toes in the water a few times and discovered how to make sand castles with her beach bucket, she was a happy girl. The sandy toes weren't quite her fancy, so washing them off in the water felt nice. She must have stared at the waves for a few minutes or so continually saying, "Wa-wa, wa-wa." When we returned to our friends' home, they asked her what she did that day and of course she answered with, "Wa-wa."
How can anyone forget a day at the beach in Cadiz.

A Visit to Cadiz

From Crowell Post

It was so nice to visit Cadiz and enjoy it all together. Elsie was her normal self and enjoyed talking to every dog we passed on the streets. She would crouch down and bob her little head back and forth telling each dog about how her walk was going. Each dog's owner was so friendly and kind to Elsie. It seems like every Gaditano (person from Cadiz) we meet is friendly. How we love Cadiz! The people smile, the sun shines, and the food is delicious. Cadiz, Cadiz....

I Often Go Walking

From Crowell Post

Elsie just LOVES to go for walks. She simply can't leave without her stroller, i.e., pram, push-chair, buggy, etc. Both baby dolls (at least one for sure) accompany her, if not her doggie. Of course we can't leave out the purse.

a new post

From Crowell Post

The Crowell Family has begun a new post--The Crowell Post. As we've started afresh here in England we wanted to do something new and exciting. So, we've decided to send a postcard every week.
This week's postcard is one of relief. We are settled in...and we love it. We love being settled in and we love it here in Woodbridge. So, it is generally green here, but all the trees, bushes, and plants have really taken color. It is glorious! We have lots of trails around our home and Elsie LOVES to go for walks. There are plenty of dogs, birds, and bunnies to keep her entertained for hours. It really is quite lovely.